What is Prosforo?

Written by Andrew Athanasiou Many times we take for granted the bread that not only is part of communion but also the antidoron that is given after the service is over. Prosforo, the name given to the bread that is offered, is Greek meaning “the offering.” We make the mistake that it is the Church’s offering to us for showing … Read More

Orthodox Monasteries in North America

1. Holy Monastery of St. Anthony Elder Ephraim, Archimandrite Paisios 4784 North St. Joseph’s Way, Florence, AZ 85 132, Arizona Tel: 520-868-3188 Fax: 520-868-3088 Web site: http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/ 

The Desert Fathers: Abba Antony

The Apophthegmata Patrum – Abba Antony  Saint Athanasius’s portrait of Saint Antony was not the only one.1 There were other traditions about him that circulated among desert Christians. Some were recorded in a remarkable collection known as the Apophthegmata Patrum, or Sayings of the Fathers. Antony appears here not as a mythic hero unflinchingly battling the forces of evil. Instead, … Read More

The Holy Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem

One hundred and thirty years after the birth of Christ, the Holy Cave became the place of pilgrimage of the Christians. The idolatric emperor Adrian, wishing to send the place to oblivion, built a temple dedicated to Adonis as he also did at Golgotha with the construction of the temple dedicated to Aphrodite. His attempt did not end successfully. The … Read More

St.Herman of Alaska Monastery (Video)

St.Herman of Alaska Monastery The St. Herman of Alaska Brotherhood is a monastic-missionary Orthodox Christian brotherhood that is part of the Western American Diocese of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Brotherhood was established in 1963 with the blessing of St. John Maximovitch. In 1969, the brotherhood moved to the wilderness of northern California, near the village of Platina. The founding … Read More

Documentary about Saint Nicholas of Myra

Agios Nikolaos (Mount Athos)*  Saint Nicholas, also called Agios Nikolaos of Myra, was an important 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra in Lycia (Minor Asia). Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonder-Worker. Watch the video:

Monasticism, (Georgios Mantzaridis)

Monasticism Georgios I. Mantzaridis – Professor of the Theological School – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Abridged text from the book Images of Athos by monk Chariton) The innermost spiritual sense of Orthodox Monasticism is revealed in joyful mourning. This paradoxical phrase denotes a spiritual state in which a monk in his prayer grieves for the sins of the world at … Read More

Litany of “Axion Esti” on Mount Athos

On Bright Monday, after Easter, some monasteries on Mount Athos and Karyes (capital of Athos) hold litanies with their miraculous icons and holy relics. The others do this on Bright Tuesday.

ELDER EPHRAIM: About the trials and temptations

Elder Ephraim of St. Anthony’s Monastery, Arizona, USA God allows temptations so that they might rouse us to remember Him. When we call upon Him, He acts as though He does not hear us so that we multiply our supplications and cry out His holy name, in fear of the various passions. Then, through pain of the entreaties, our heart … Read More